IPS accuses Pay Commission of disregarding them

Guwahati, Apr 04 (UNI) The Assam Indian Police Service (IPS) Association today accused the Sixth Pay Commission of completely disregarding the internal security matters while fixing the salary structures of their officers.

Addressing a press conference here, ADG of Assam Police G P Srivastava said, ''The Pay Commission has considered all the police forces as metropolitan police, disregarding the fact that a huge section of the IPS officers are engaged in internal security matters in highly demanding states like Assam.'' The IPS officers alleged pay disparity among Army and IAS officers and Central Para Military forces.

The officers also expressed dissatisfaction over difference in the pay scale of the IPS and IAS officers which is around Rs 15,960 at the middle level and Rs 10,980 at the top DG level.

''If you calculate with simple interest rate, an IPS officer will get Rs 74 lakh less than an IAS officer after completion of his 36 years service period under this commission,'' DIG of Assam Police G P Singh said.

''The irony is that despite the loss of about 30 IPS officers in the past few decades, the Sixth Pay Commission did not consider the whole matter of internal security as an important issue and put the entire thrust on the Armed Forces,'' Mr Srivastava said.

Demanding pay parity with the IAS, the association said they had already met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and would soon call on Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

The association also recommended that the post of DIG should be abolished for the IPS officers as the salary loss in the post would be huge.

''Many states have already taken this step,'' Mr Srivasatava added.

He said the morale of the IPS officers was very low after the Pay Commission, adding that the state head of police's pay would not be equivalent to the DGs of the BSF, CISF or CRPF.